Heir to a tradition that predates the founding of the Republic, the Foreign Service of the United States has been representing U.S. interests abroad for more than two centuries. During that time, it has undergone organizational changes and acquired new functions in a process of adaptation to changing circumstances. Today, Foreign Service personnel in five different foreign affairs agencies work together and join with other elements of the federal government to help shape and execute the foreign policy of the United States. After tracing the Service from its origins to the structure established by the Foreign Service Act of 1980, Andrew Steigman describes the composition of the modern Foreign Service and offers a succinct account of the work done by its members at home and abroad. He concludes with an assessment of the problems posed for the Service by societal change and by the spread of terrorism and offers some cogent thoughts about the Service’s future.
